Court finds employer's inadequate COVID-19 prevention measures led to employee's passing
A local Chinese restaurant in Japan has been ordered to pay 70 million yen following the death of an employee who contracted COVID-19 at the eatery in 2021, according to reports.
The Tokyo District Court ordered the restaurant to pay the compensation to the late employee's family, who initially sought roughly 80 million in damages, The Mainichi reported.
According to the court, the restaurant's inadequate COVID-19 prevention measures led to the employee's death.
"The establishment did not require customers to wear masks and did not limit conversations or the number of patrons," Presiding Judge Hiroyuki Osuga said as quoted by The Mainichi.
The court further heard that the restaurant did not have acrylic partitions installed between customers and at times also allowed gatherings of about 20 patrons.
The employee contracted COVID-19 in July 2021 and then died two months later. Three other employees in the restaurant were also confirmed to be infected around the same time.
"It is evident that the establishment did not take sufficient measures to prevent employees from contracting COVID-19," Osuga said. "It neglected its duty to ensure the safety of the man's life and health."
Tokyo, during the time of the employees' infection, was placed under a fourth state of emergency after surging COVID-19 cases. It covered the duration of the Tokyo Olympics, which was held under restrictions due to the pandemic's impact.
